Generally, railroad trains are operated, being connected with several coaches or freight cars and when they arrive at a station, passengers or freight goods are loaded or unloaded thereat.

In other words, a railroad train, by way of example, a railroad train consisting of 10 trains should stop at a station with its 10 trains in order to unload some of the passengers and/or goods, and to load passengers and/or goods.

TECHNICAL OBJECTION OF THE INVENTION When the railroad train consisting of many coaches and freight cars stops at each station to load and unload some of the passengers and freights, operation time of the trains is lengthened.

There is another disadvantage in that, when the railroad trains stops at each station, much energy is spent for stopping and restarting the trains.

If passengers and cargoes can be loaded and unloaded at each station without stopping, lots of energy can be saved.

Furthermore, in the present railroad system, there are many instances where slow trains and high speed trains are running within the same stations.

The high speed trains stop at predetermined stations, not stopping at every station between a starting station and a destination station while the slow trains stop at every station. In order to run the high speed trains and low speed trains, there are many cases here two-track lines or four-track lines are constructed. However, if all the trains are run at high speed, and can load and unload desired passengers and freights at all stations, there is no need to construct the two-track or four-track lines to thereby save a huge amount of expenditure.

The present invention is therefore disclosed to solve the aforementioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a railroad train operation method and appropriate operation device thereof by which railroad trains are so deviced as to load and unload passengers and freights at stations without stopping thereat, thereby shortening operation time of the railroad trains, saving energy consumed for operation of the railroad rains and reducing cost necessary for constructing two-track or four-track lines.

In accordance with the objects of the present invention, there is provided a railroad train operation method, the method of operating on railways consisting of a main railroad and at least one branch railroad constructed on each station, railroad trains constructed by connecting at last more than two separable trains where at least more than two separable trains have self- propelling means, the method comprising the steps of: running the trains on the railroads ; separating the trains into a continuously running train and a stopping train when the trains approach a station;

continuously running the continuously running train on a main railroad without stopping at the station; and guiding the stopping train to a branch railroad installed at the station for stopping thereat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figures la to le are schematic drawings for illustrating operation method of railroad trains according to the present invention; and Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view for illustrating connecting and separating mean between trains.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE INVENTION Figures la to le are schematic drawings for illustrating operation method of moebius trains pursuant to the present invention.

A station (S) is situated with passenger and freight loading and unloading grounds (S1 and S2) sitting around main railroads (R1 and R2).

Between the loading and unloading grounds (S1 and S2) there are constructed branch railroads (B1 and B2) branched out from the main railroads (R1 and R2) and sitting near the loading and unloading grounds (SI and S2). At a point where the main railroads R1 and R2 meet the branch railroads (B1 and B2) there is installed a railroad change device 2 for changing the direction of trains.

The main railroads (R1 and R2) respectively define an up train line and a down train line.

The railroad trains (T), as described in the drawings, may be comprises of, by way of example, 7 cars and run in the direction of a arrow.

Among the 7-car train, at least two cars are equipped with self- propelling driving meas. The driving means may be an engine using fossile fuel,

or a motor operated by electricity. At least 1 car having the driving means is situated at the end of the car (T1).

Any passengers and/or freights to be unloaded at the station (S) should move to the rearend of the car (Tl) before the railroad trains (T) arrives at the station (S). Before the railroad trains (T) arrive at the station (S), only the rearend car (T1) loaded with passengers and/or freights which are supposed to be unloaded at the station (S) is separated from the railroad trains (T), such that the railroad trains (T) are now separated into the stopping unit (T1) and a continuously running unit (T2). Although in the present embodiment the stopping unit (T1) is illustrated as one car, the stopping car (Tl) may be comprised of more than 2 cars if passengers to disembark at the station (S) surpass one car.

In order to signal a separating point of the stopping unit (T1), an appropriate signal device or detecting device 3 may be installed at an appropriate position. In order to cushion a shock generated in the course of separation at the stopping unit (Tl) and the continuously running unit (T2), it is preferred that the stopping unit (T1), before being separated, should start a self driving means to be controlled so as to run at a speed similar to that of the continuously running unit (T2) at the separating time, separation between the stopping unit (T1) and the continuously running unit (T2) may be performed by manipulation of a locomotive engineer on he railroad trains, or may be automatically implemented by control of a central control center 1.

As illustrated in Figures lb to ld, the continuously running unit (T2) does not stop at the station (S) only to pass the station (S) through the main railroads (R1) while the separated stopping unit (T1) slows the speed to stop at the loading and unloading ground (S1) via the branch railroad (B1).

The stopping unit (T1) may be equipped with a built-in brake system or

may be controlled so as to be stopped by itself at the loading and unloading ground (S1) by friction force after being separated from the railroad trains. The railroad change device 2 is so controlled as to allow the continuously running unit (T2) to pass the main railroads (R1) and to the stopping unit (T1) to be guided to the loading and unloading ground (S1), and when the stopping unit (T1) stops, passengers and/or freights are disembarked.

At the loading and unloading ground (S1) of the station (S), there wait a starting unit (T3) consisting of 2-car train. The starting unit (T3) may be comprised of appropriate numbers of cars pursuant to the number of passengers to be embarked and amount of freights to be loaded. At least one car comprising the starting unit (T3) is installed with a self propelling driving means. The starting unit (T3) is started by the self-propelled driving means at an appropriate time while the continuously running unit (T2) is running without stopping at the station (S). In order to signal a starting time of the starting unit (T3), a position detecting device (3') of the continuously running unit (T2) or a signal device may be installed at an appropriate position. The starting unit (T3) approaches a rearend of the continuously running unit (T2) to be connected thereto after the continuously running unit (T2) passes the station (S).

It is preferred that connection between the starting unit (T3) and the continuously running unit (T2) should be made at a time when a running speed thereof is almost same in order to cushion a shock generated at the time of connection. The connection may be performed by the locomotive engineer on board the railroad trains or automatically adjusted by control of the central control center (1).

The railroad trains can load or unload passengers and/or cargoes without stopping at each station according to the method of the present invention thus described. Although the present invention has described a

method where a rear car of the railroad trains is separated while a rear end of the railroad trains is connected by a new car, it is possible to separate several front cars of the railroad trains at the station and to connect newly-connected car to a front part of the railroad trains.

The railroad trains may pass the station (S) at a fixed speed, or may pass the station (S) at a lower speed at the vicinity of the station (S) in order to separate or connect the car without great shock.

Each car separated from or connected to the railroad trains (T) is equipped with separation/connection means for being separated by control of the central control center (1) or by manual operation of the locomotive engineer on board the trains (T).

The separation/connection means, as illustrated in Figure 2 as an example, may be driving means for restricting/releasing half round hitching hooks (5), each rotatively installed at a car by way of a hinge (4) and situated in opposite positions, and hitching ring (6) of the other car positioned between the hitching hooks (5) by rotating the hitching hooks (5).

The driving means may be comprised of two hydraulic cylinders (8) rotatively mounted at the car (T1) and connected to the hitching hook (5) via a hinge (7), a hydraulic pump (9) and a storage tank (10) so disposed as to supply/return fluid to the hydraulic cylinders (8), and a microcomputer 12 for detecting the hitching ring (6) coming in between the hitching hooks (5) by way of a sensor (11) to intermittently operate the hydraulic pump (9).

The present invention may include a speed detecting device for measuring a mutual speed and a shock absorbing device for safety and shock absorption when the starting unit (T3) and the continuously running unit (T2) are connected. Furthermore, an appropriate electrical connecting/separating

device may be adopted in case electrical connection/separation are needed during connection and separation. A radio transceiver may be used to transmit/receive electrical signals.

The railroad trains (T) may be installed therein with moving means such as escalator for facilitating movement of passengers.

Although Figure la illustrates particular shapes of branch railroads (B1 and B2), the branch railroads may be installed in various shapes. By way of example, the main railroads may be a signal line while the branch railroads may be X-shaped or diagonally shaped around the station (S).

In case an existing starting station and terminal station are constructed in loop shape according to the present invention, the railroad trains according to the present invention are possible to run continuously without stopping at the starting station and the terminal station.

Other means or devices for embodying the present invention than those mentioned in the above are embodied by the prior art. Technology of transportation system at the present time is so developed as to supply fuel form air, such that the prior art is enough the embody the present invention.

As apparent from the foregoing, there is an advantage in the moebius train thus descried according to the present invention in that the railroad trains are not stopped at a station to load and unload passengers and/or cargoes, thereby shortening operation time of railroad trains, saving energy consumed for operation of the railroad trains and greatly reducing costs necessary for construction of two-track or four-track lines.

Although the present invention has described about a particular embodiment, various variations and modifications easily conceivable by a person in the art may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.